


Remember Me

by Auduna_Druitt



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Fix-It, M/M, Memory Loss, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auduna_Druitt/pseuds/Auduna_Druitt
Summary: Leonard finds a friend in an unexpected place. The problem is that he doesn't remember Leonard...or anything from the last 20+ years





	Remember Me

Leonard had been wandering the hospital for the last half hour. He’d dropped Jim off at therapy and started walking to clear his mind. It had been a busy couple of months since the whole Marcus, Khan, Vengeance ordeal. Looking up he found himself in a part of the hospital he was unfamiliar with. Looking around he spotted an open door and peered inside. He was not prepared for what, or more accurately who, he saw sitting in the single bed. 

“Chris?!”

The older man looked up and smiled. “That’s me. Do I know you? Are you my new roommate? They said I might be getting one once the semester started.”

“Roommate? Semester? Chris what are you talking about? How are you still alive?! We thought you were dead!”

He frowned, “Dead? I was in that shuttle accident a couple months ago but it wasn’t that bad.”

“A couple of months…Chris can you tell me what year it is?”

“It’s 2228…Maybe you should go to the clinic…”

“Oh, no I’m fine…just wanted to make sure. Sort of a weird deja vu thing.”

Chris nodded a little and turned back to his books. Leonard stood there and watched him for a few moments before he spoke again. “Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you…have you seen Phil?”

Chris stopped and looked back up. “Phil? No I haven’t seen him. He’s on the Valiant. Not sure when he’ll be back.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“Out of range. Why? Something wrong?”

Leonard shook his head. “No. Nothing’s wrong just wondered.”

Chris looked at him skeptically. 

“I’ll let you get back to what you were doing…see you around Chris.” He said as he exited the room. He made his way to the stairwell and as the door closed behind him he slid down the wall with his face in his hands. 

Chris was alive. 

He was alive and Starfleet was hiding him…Jim couldn’t have known. He’d have told Leonard or Phil.

Phil…

Phil couldn’t know either….the way he’d reacted…there was no way he knew Chris was alive. 

He sat there staring at the wall opposite him as his mind raced. It was a few minutes before he sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes that he hadn’t even realized were there. Standing to his feet he opened the door and walked back down the hall to Chris’ room. Glancing at the little plaque beside the door he chuckled to himself and pulled out his comm.

“Phil? Would you pick Jim up from therapy and meet me on the ninth floor?”

_“What are you doing up there?”_

“Visiting a friend. Jim’ll be mad if he doesn’t get to see him.”

_“And you can’t leave to go get him?”_

“I’m afraid I can’t tear myself away.”

_“Alright. I’ll bring him up in five.”_

“Thanks Phil.”

The minutes ticked by slowly as he waited for the two to arrive. When they finally turned the corner Jim looked up at him with a frown. “What’s going on Bones? Phil said you were visiting a friend? I didn’t know you had any friends up here.”

“I didn’t either Jim. Come on. I told him you guys were coming. “

They followed him down the hall and stopped at a closed door. Jim looked up at the plaque and read the name aloud. “Chris Pine? Who’s that?”

“Someone you will be very happy to see. Are you guys ready?”

Jim shrugged and looked up at Phil who nodded. “Yeah Bones.”

Leonard hit the button and the door slid open. Phil pushed Jim’s wheelchair inside and stopped. He might have fallen over had Leonard not been there to steady him. The two stared at the sleeping man in the bed, speechless. 

Jim found his voice first. “Bones?  What….how….is it really…?”

Leonard nodded. “As far as I can tell it is. I’m not sure if the what and the how though. I just stumbled on him while I was walking. He does seem to have some memory loss though….”

Phil took a step toward the bed shaking his head.  Looking down at his sleeping husband as tears filled his eyes. He reached out a shaking hand and swept the hair from his forehead. Chris shifted in his sleep but didn’t open his eyes. “How bad?” He whispered. 

“He thinks it 2228…his second year at the academy. He thinks he’s a student, you’re on the Valiant, and he thought I was his new roommate. He does seem a little confused but…”

Phil shook his head and Leonard trailed off. They stood there in silence until Phil looked from his husband to Leonard. “Who signed off on this?”

Leonard grabbed the PADD from the wall and pulled up Chris’ chart. “Doctor Baker.”

Stepping out of Phil’s way Leonard pushed Jim’s chair out into the hall. Phil had a look in his eye that he knew better than to question. Following after him they stopped outside of an office at the other end of the hall. Leonard leaned against the wall with a hand in Jim’s shoulder as they listened to Phil chewing out the poor doctor inside the office

* * *

Once Phil had said everything he needed to and Doctor Baker had given him Chris’ report he walked out of the office and faced the boys. Jim looked up at him and reached for his hand. “It’ll be okay Phil. He’s alive. His memory can come back…”

Phil nodded and looked at Leonard. “What if it doesn’t? They don’t know what happened. He just doesn’t remember.”

“If he doesn’t remember then you’ll make new memories. Maybe things will come back to him eventually. The brain is a funny thing.”

Phil nodded again and smiled at them. “Thank you. Thank you for finding him, for telling me, for being here…”

Leonard put his hands on Jim’s shoulders, “I’m just returning the favor.” 

“About that…”

Over the next week Leonard spent more and more time in Chris’ room with him. He’d never been as close to Chris as Jim was so it was nice to get to know him better but it was also a little weird knowing more about him than he did himself. There were moments where he thought he saw a flash of recognition in Chris’ eyes but after a brief pause it would disappear. 

Phil saw that Jim went to therapy and picked him up afterward while Leonard worked with Chris. It was an odd feeling not being there to take care of Jim but Phil needed his help and he owed him. He’d have helped even if he didn’t though. Jim wouldn’t speak to him if he didn’t. 

Somewhere around the one month mark he realized that Chris had been flirting with him almost from the first time they met. Walking into the hospital instead of heading to Chris’ room he went straight to Phil’s office. “Hey Phil?”

The older man looked up and set his PAAD aside. “Leonard. You’re early today aren’t you? Jim hasn’t even gone to therapy yet…”

“Yeah, about that. I was thinking that I might give you a break from Jim duty for a few days.”

“Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. I just thought you might be tired of that idiot of mine.”

Phil sat back in his chair and just looked at Leonard. “How’s  _my_  idiot doing?”

Leonard sighed and stepped over to the chair opposite Phil and sat down. “He’s good. I get the feeling that maybe he’s about to remember something and then it’s just…gone. I’ve tried just about everything I can think of…I’m sorry Phil.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry about. You didn’t do this to him and I don’t expect you to have all the answers Leonard.”

“I know Phil. I just…” He sighed and shook his head. “What was Chris like at the academy?”

“A damn fool.”

“More specifically though?”

“Beautiful and brilliant. Tried to stay under the radar and failed. Fell in love far too easily. Didn’t often know what he was doing but somehow figured it out. Kind. Loved learning and exploring. Couldn’t hold his liquor that well. Snored a little in the other room…” Phil paused and shook his head. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondered if…if it was normal…”

“Spit it out Leonard.”

Sighing heavily Leonard shook his head and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, “Phil, Chris has been flirting with me.”

The smallest smile played at the older doctor’s lips. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes though, there was sadness there. Leonard couldn’t even imagine how Phil must have felt hearing that his husband, who couldn’t remember that he was married, was flirting with his young protege. 

“It’s okay Leonard, Chris has always been a flirt… Is it good flirting or is it bad?”

Leonard frowned and leaned back slightly. “It’s…um…well it’s…it’s good?”

“Then he doesn’t mean anything by it. He just thinks you’re cute.”

Leonard stared at him trying to process what he just said. Opening his mouth to say something he stopped and closed it again. 

Phil smiled, “Chris is notoriously bad at flirting with someone he really likes. He still gets flustered around me sometimes.”

Smiling Leonard relaxed back into the chair. “Jim’s the same way….only his charm works better than his flirting. He tries too hard.”

“We really do have a couple of idiots don’t we?”

“Yeah,” Leonard nodded “but they’re our idiots.”

“Still want to take Jim today?”

“Yeah. I think maybe Chris needs a break for a day or two.”

Phil nodded. “I think Jim would like that. He’s mentioned missing having you around as much. He tries not to but sometimes it slips out.”

“Thank you for helping me with him. I know what a pain in the ass he can be.”

“It’s what we do Leonard. We have each other’s backs because we understand.”

Leonard smiled and stood to his feet. “I should get him to therapy. I’ll check in with Baker later and see how Chris is doing.”

Phil nodded and Leonard turned and walked out the door. He felt bad about not going up to see Chris but he did miss seeing Jim and needed time to collect his thoughts. Chris wasn’t going anywhere and his condition was the same. If anything changed Doctor Baker would let him know…besides it’s not like he wasn’t on the hospital grounds. 

That night after Leonard and Jim had gone to bed the comm on the bedside table chirped. Leonard opened his eyes and sighed as he reached for it. Jim rolled over and put an arm around his middle as he flipped the comm open. “McCoy here.”

_“Leonard, it’s Thomas. Chris is asking for you.”_

He looked over at the clock, “Thomas it’s two in the morning…”

_“I know. I think he might be having a breakthrough…he mentioned Jim.”_

“I’m on my way.”

Setting his comm aside he slid out of the bed and away from Jim’s grasp marking the blonde groan and open his eyes. “What are you doing? Come back to bed…” 

“Can’t Jim. Gotta get to the hospital. You be okay by yourself or should I get someone to come over?”

Jim sat up in the bed and watched Leonard pulling on his jeans, “I’ll be okay. If I need anything I’ll call you…or Phil?”

Leonard paused a moment and then nodded. “Yeah. I’ll call you when I’m done and maybe I can stop and get Chinese on the way home?”

“Sounds great Bones.” Jim said as he slipped back beneath the covers and pulled Leonard’s pillow to him. 

Leonard hated to leave him alone like that but knowing him he’s sleep til noon anyway and hopefully he’d be home by then…with good news. The drive to the hospital felt like it took twice as long as normal and the ride up to Chris’ floor seemed like an eternity. Thomas was waiting for him when the lift doors opened. He was practically bouncing in place. 

“What happened Thomas? What’s he remember exactly?”

Thomas shook his head, “He won’t talk to us. Only you. Woke up screaming and then mentioned something about Jim but wouldn’t say more.”

Leonard nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “Does Phil know yet?”

“We were waiting for you.”

“Probably a good idea til we know more. Thanks for calling me.” 

Thomas nodded to him and headed back to his office while Leonard turned down the hallway toward Chris’ room. The door was open and Chris was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the floor. Leonard knocked on the doorframe and stepped just inside the door. “Chris?”

The admiral looked over to the door, “Hello Leonard. Sorry to get you up so late…”

Leonard shook his head, “It’s fine Chris.” Walking over to the bed he sat down beside him, “They tell me you had a dream?”

“If you can call it that. It felt so real…”

“You want to tell me about it? Maybe I can help make sense of it.”

“I was walking off a shuttle into this…ship…it wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen. It was massive…there was someone there…a Romulan?”

Leonard’s breath caught and he nodded slowly. “What else?”

“He wanted something from me. He…he tortured me…I wouldn’t tell him…and then…” he shivered and clutched the edge of the bed. “Then I was screaming…”

Leonard remembered the first time he saw Chris after that. He was in rough shape, couldn’t feel his legs, beat to hell, barely conscious… He’d taken him from Jim and gone straight to the medbay to see what the damage had been. The Centaurian slug and all the havoc it had caused to Chris’ systems…

“I knew him…”

Leonard turned his attention back to Chris who was still staring at the floor. 

“I know him…Jim…he’s important to me…”

“Tell me about him. Tell me what you know about him.”

Chris sighed, “He’s got blonde hair, blue eyes that can see straight into your soul, smartass, doesn’t listen well…I call him son…Is he my son? He couldn’t be….could he? Why don’t I remember him?” 

“That sounds like him and no Chris, he’s not actually your son. Though he is the closest thing you have to a son. We’re still working on why you can’t remember. This is a step in the right direction though if that helps any.”

Chris looked up at him, “Not really.  So it wasn’t a dream then? It was a memory…..” He sighed heavily and shook his head. “Why is my time at the academy the last thing I can remember? When is Phil coming back? He’s always good with this stuff…”

“We’ll work it out Chris. Don’t worry. I’ll find out about Phil for you and let you know…” Chris nodded slowly while Leonard stood to his feet and put a hand on his shoulder. “Try and get some sleep?”

The next morning Leonard walked into the hospital with Jim and headed up to Phil’s office. Knocking on the door Leonard peered in. “Phil?”

“Morning Leonard. I thought you were going to take Jim to therapy today? Or did you change your mind?”

Settling Jim in a chair across from Phil he sat down, “I am, I didn’t….Something happened last night that I need to talk to you both about.”

Phil stiffened in his chair and Jim reached for his boyfriend’s hand. “Bones…”

“It’s okay Jim. It’s good news.” He said reassuring the blonde. “He remembered something.”

“What did he remember?” Phil asked with a slight hesitancy to his voice.

“It was the Narada…”

“ _Shit._ ”

“Yeah. He didn’t remember it all but he remembered enough. He actually remembered Jim.” Leonard watched Phil’s face closely. He knew it hurt that Chris would remember Jim and not his own husband but at least he was starting to remember. They all hoped that this was the beginning of getting their Chris back.

Over the next few weeks Jim finished his therapy and started just hanging out with Phil or some of the people he’d met in therapy. It kept him busy and near Leonard. 

Chris continued having dreams but more often they were the same ones repeating. After two months Leonard brought Jim in to see him for the first time. He sat with them while they talked and did his best to keep Jim from revealing things Chris was not yet ready to hear. It was another month before Chris had a new dream….one that sent him into a panic and had them frantically calling Leonard and Jim at three in the morning. 

The two of them ran into the hospital and anxiously waited for the lift to carry them up to Chris’ floor. As soon as the doors opened the took off running to Chris’ room. Thomas was standing at the door. “We tried everything. We couldn’t get him to calm down.”

“Where is he?”

“His room but he won’t let us in…”

Jim pushed him aside and knocked on the door, “Chris? It’s JIm. I’m here with Leonard, can we come in?”

“ _Jim?_ ”

“Yeah Chris. It’s me…”

The door clicked and slid open. Jim walked in and Leonard moved to follow with a glance at Thomas. “We’ve got it.”

Thomas nodded and the door slid shut behind Leonard. Chris was curled up in the chair by the window looking out into the darkness. Jim kneeled on the floor in front of him. “Chris?”

Leonard stood behind Jim and put a hand on his shoulder. “It was a new dream wasn’t it?” he asked quietly.

Chris nodded slowly and continued staring out the window.

“Can you tell us about it?”

He took a shuddering breath and turned to them. “I died…didn’t I?”

Leonard could feel Jim tense up and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We thought you were dead. That was why I was so surprised to find you here.”

“What happened?”

Jim took a deep breath, “We were attacked….you…you called for help…then you got hit. Someone pulled you out. He was with you when….”

“When I died.”

“Yeah.”

They spent the rest of the night and most of the morning with Chris trying to answer questions and hoping to help him remember but all it seemed to do was agitate him more and more. Finally Leonard excused himself and asked for Thomas to get a sedative for Chris. When he returned to the room Chris was on the bed and Jim was sitting beside him, both men silent and looking at the floor. Leonard put a hand on Jim’s shoulder and nodded to him. “You should get some rest Chris.”

“I can’t sleep Leonard. Everytime I try…the dreams…the memories. Things I should know but I just…don’t.”

“I can give you a sedative Chris. Should help relax you, but only if you want it.”

He thought for a minute before giving him a small nod, “Yeah. Probably for the best.”

He walked over to him and pressed the hypo against his neck dispensing the medication, “Call us if you need anything.”

Jim stood to his feet and the two of them walked to the door as Chris settled back into his bed. Once the door was closed Leonard put an arm around Jim’s shoulders. “We will figure this out Jim. We’ll get him back.”

“Bones?”

“Yeah Jim?”

“I think I might have an idea.”

* * *

The next day they arrived at Chris’ room with Spock and Phil in tow. Chris was confused as to Spock’s presence but lit up when he saw Phil. He wrapped his arms around his doctor and squeezed him tight. “I thought you’d be gone forever!”

Phil sniffled and hugged him back, “Me too Chrissy. Me too…”

Leonard and Jim stood by the door watching while Spock waited off to the side staring out the window. Once Phil was finally able to release his husband and wipe the tears from his eyes Leonard outlined the plan. Chris looked from him to Spock and nodded. “So all it will take to get my memories back is…a mind meld?”

Spock clasped his hands behind his back and gave a very slight nod, “That is the assumption.”

“And if this doesn’t work?”

“Then we try something else.” Phil said placing a hand on Chris’ shoulder.

“Then let’s get started.”

Spock moved over to him as Phil shifted around behind him. Chris watched Spock raise a hand and carefully position his fingers on strategic points on his face. 

Moments of his life flashed through his mind. Key points. Important dates. Bad experiences. The desert. His grandfather. His first love. His first kiss. Graduation. The Academy. Marriage. Divorce. Time spent in the black. Meeting Jim. The Enterprise. The Narada. Marrying Phil…

When Spock finally steps away and removes his hand he could have sworn he was going to fall over only he didn’t. It took a few moments to realize the reason why. Phil. 

Phil was standing behind him and was the only thing holding him upright. Jim stepped forward and helped Phil get Chris to the bed. Once Leonard had run a quick scan to check his vitals he stepped back, “Chris? Can you tell me what year it is?”

Chris’ eyes were glued to Phil and with a shaking hand he reached out and cupped his face in his hand, “Phil…my husband…”

Leonard smiled and gestured for Jim and Spock to leave. They walked out the door and Phil glanced over his shoulder, “Thank you Leonard.” he said quietly his eyes brimming with tears. “Thank you for finding my husband.”

“You helped me save Jim. I owed you one.”


End file.
